November 7, 2026
FILM: WILD HORSE NINE
WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY: MARTIN MCDONAGH
STARRING: JOHN MALKOVICH, SAM ROCKWELL, STEVE BUSCEMI
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
Within the first ten minutes of Wild Horse Nine, it’s clear that John Malkovich will be nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for the first time in decades. He’s also the likely winner. He gives one of those iconic performances, as a CIA agent at the end of his life spewing philosophies and witty one-liners, that people will talk about long after Malkovich is gone. Of course, much of what he delivers here is thanks to the brilliant writing and directing by Martin McDonagh. I’ve been a fan of his since seeing his play The Beauty Queen of Leenane on Broadway back in the 1990s. Since then he’s written several additional, powerful, biting, violent, and very funny other plays. He won an Oscar for his great short film Six Shooter and has made a major name for himself on the big screen with features such as In Bruges, Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing Missouri, and The Banshees of Inisherin. Each of these received at least one Oscar nomination. Wild Horse Nine will no doubt do the same.
The film is set in 1973 as CIA agents Chris (Malkovich) and Lee (Sam Rockwell) are on Easter Island (also known as Rapa Nui) in the southeastern Pacific Ocean. There are political changes occurring in Santiago, Chile which is where the duo is arriving from. They’re on a mission from their bureau chief MJ, played by Steve Buscemi, related to those Chilean issues. All of this is a backdrop to what becomes something of a road trip for the two men. We learn early on that Chris is dying and has been particularly fond of the island and its Moai statues, which he refers to as “big heads.” As they travel around the island, Chris has a lot to say about life. So much of the humor in the film comes from the unique perspectives he has, such as equating democracy with gays and cheese. His logic is hilarious and not all that misguided. Meanwhile, Lee serves as a sort of straight man as he reacts to all that Chris is spewing.
The rapport between Malkovich and Rockwell is palpable. They skillfully act off each other in sparring but human ways that make their time together feel real and relatable. Malkovich’s verbal cadence is also immediately original to his character. It sounds as if his breath is effecting his delivery which works in his favor due to Chris’s health condition. In many ways, it’s one of the more subdued of Malkovich’s performances while also being rich and emotionally laden with end of life wishes and fears.
As a character Chris is also multi-layered. He is spiritual and concerned about his chances of getting into heaven, especially with the number of deaths he has caused. He is dictating his memoir into a voice recorder where he contemplates dinosaurs. Did they have souls and are they in heaven? It is discussions like this that are at once absurd and deeply philosophical to consider. They’re also laced with McDonagh’s witty lines which, particularly in the film’s first half, arrive quickly, one after the other.
Of course, Chris is also having memory issues so anything he says about his life and involvement with other major crimes such as the JFK assassination is questionable. MJ wants Lee to get Chris’s recordings so that sensitive details about such events do not surface. Lee is dealing with his own issues as his wife, played great by Parker Posey in too few scenes, is dealing with break-ins at their home. Rockwell, as usual (he won an Oscar for Supporting Actor for McDonagh’s Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing Missouri) excels in the role offering anger, strength, and compassion throughout his time with Chris.
The setting for the story on Easter Island is beautifully captured by director of photography, Ben Davis. Because McDonagh is from Ireland, there’s a strong connection between the open landscapes found on the island to that of his home country. The lush green grasses and ocean views suggest something majestic and lonely at the same time. There are also horses which are carefully shot, including one that seems to have a special telepathic relationship with Chris.
Of course, the “big heads” are everywhere, watching silently over all that is effecting the island. They are relics of a time long gone. Perhaps that is why Chris and Lee are so fascinated by them. Maybe they see themselves as soon to be relics. Power remains for only so long but death eventually takes all. Chris knows this and has become an observer to his own life. Does he have regrets? Maybe, especially the number of people he has killed which could affect the chances of his own soul making it to heaven.
Like other McDonagh projects, this one is about two men on a collision course with each other. It’s hard not to see those connections when one considers films such as In Bruges and The Banshees of Inisherin. He’s fascinated by the dynamic of such men who have doubts, strong perspectives, and hearts underneath their darkness and rhetoric.
This is a film and script, like Malkovich’s performance, which will be studied for decades to come.
Wild Horse Nine is now playing in theaters everywhere. See it!
FILM: WILD HORSE NINE
WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY: MARTIN MCDONAGH
STARRING: JOHN MALKOVICH, SAM ROCKWELL, STEVE BUSCEMI
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
Within the first ten minutes of Wild Horse Nine, it’s clear that John Malkovich will be nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for the first time in decades. He’s also the likely winner. He gives one of those iconic performances, as a CIA agent at the end of his life spewing philosophies and witty one-liners, that people will talk about long after Malkovich is gone. Of course, much of what he delivers here is thanks to the brilliant writing and directing by Martin McDonagh. I’ve been a fan of his since seeing his play The Beauty Queen of Leenane on Broadway back in the 1990s. Since then he’s written several additional, powerful, biting, violent, and very funny other plays. He won an Oscar for his great short film Six Shooter and has made a major name for himself on the big screen with features such as In Bruges, Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing Missouri, and The Banshees of Inisherin. Each of these received at least one Oscar nomination. Wild Horse Nine will no doubt do the same.
The film is set in 1973 as CIA agents Chris (Malkovich) and Lee (Sam Rockwell) are on Easter Island (also known as Rapa Nui) in the southeastern Pacific Ocean. There are political changes occurring in Santiago, Chile which is where the duo is arriving from. They’re on a mission from their bureau chief MJ, played by Steve Buscemi, related to those Chilean issues. All of this is a backdrop to what becomes something of a road trip for the two men. We learn early on that Chris is dying and has been particularly fond of the island and its Moai statues, which he refers to as “big heads.” As they travel around the island, Chris has a lot to say about life. So much of the humor in the film comes from the unique perspectives he has, such as equating democracy with gays and cheese. His logic is hilarious and not all that misguided. Meanwhile, Lee serves as a sort of straight man as he reacts to all that Chris is spewing.
The rapport between Malkovich and Rockwell is palpable. They skillfully act off each other in sparring but human ways that make their time together feel real and relatable. Malkovich’s verbal cadence is also immediately original to his character. It sounds as if his breath is effecting his delivery which works in his favor due to Chris’s health condition. In many ways, it’s one of the more subdued of Malkovich’s performances while also being rich and emotionally laden with end of life wishes and fears.
As a character Chris is also multi-layered. He is spiritual and concerned about his chances of getting into heaven, especially with the number of deaths he has caused. He is dictating his memoir into a voice recorder where he contemplates dinosaurs. Did they have souls and are they in heaven? It is discussions like this that are at once absurd and deeply philosophical to consider. They’re also laced with McDonagh’s witty lines which, particularly in the film’s first half, arrive quickly, one after the other.
Of course, Chris is also having memory issues so anything he says about his life and involvement with other major crimes such as the JFK assassination is questionable. MJ wants Lee to get Chris’s recordings so that sensitive details about such events do not surface. Lee is dealing with his own issues as his wife, played great by Parker Posey in too few scenes, is dealing with break-ins at their home. Rockwell, as usual (he won an Oscar for Supporting Actor for McDonagh’s Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing Missouri) excels in the role offering anger, strength, and compassion throughout his time with Chris.
The setting for the story on Easter Island is beautifully captured by director of photography, Ben Davis. Because McDonagh is from Ireland, there’s a strong connection between the open landscapes found on the island to that of his home country. The lush green grasses and ocean views suggest something majestic and lonely at the same time. There are also horses which are carefully shot, including one that seems to have a special telepathic relationship with Chris.
Of course, the “big heads” are everywhere, watching silently over all that is effecting the island. They are relics of a time long gone. Perhaps that is why Chris and Lee are so fascinated by them. Maybe they see themselves as soon to be relics. Power remains for only so long but death eventually takes all. Chris knows this and has become an observer to his own life. Does he have regrets? Maybe, especially the number of people he has killed which could affect the chances of his own soul making it to heaven.
Like other McDonagh projects, this one is about two men on a collision course with each other. It’s hard not to see those connections when one considers films such as In Bruges and The Banshees of Inisherin. He’s fascinated by the dynamic of such men who have doubts, strong perspectives, and hearts underneath their darkness and rhetoric.
This is a film and script, like Malkovich’s performance, which will be studied for decades to come.
Wild Horse Nine is now playing in theaters everywhere. See it!